In their six games since a Nov. 29 win at Sacramento, the Clippers (17-10) have tumbled down the league’s defensive rankings. They’ve gone from first in overall effective field-goal percentage allowed through their first 21 games to 24th since; fourth to 20th in defending catch-and-shoot attempts; fifth to 23rd on pull-ups and sixth to 20th on attempts from 10 feet or closer.
“A little bit, because it’s not working like it was working in the beginning,” forward Danilo Gallinari said. “I think it’s more mental and energy. We need to bring more like we used to bring.”
The Clippers envisioned their defense this season to be emblematic of the team’s identity as a whole — hard-nosed and harassing, constructed around such marquee defenders as Beverley, Avery Bradley and Luc Mbah a Moute.